


If You Have Friends

by Ajisai



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, xxxHoLic
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-18
Updated: 2012-11-18
Packaged: 2017-11-18 22:37:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/566048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ajisai/pseuds/Ajisai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Watanuki and Lupin meet in a place that might be another life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Have Friends

“If you want to sit down,” the man said, “This seat is free.”

Watanuki blinked. He had no memory of how he’d arrived at the café or where it was, but it was full of people and a line snaked away from the counter. It seemed rude to say no and there were no other free tables.

“Thank you.” He said, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose, hoping the motion would make his headache go away, or wake him up, if it were all a dream. Neither thing happened.

“Do you want anything? The tea here is surprisingly good.” The man spoke again, making a motion to flag the waitress down.

“No, no, thank you.” Watanuki was starting to come up with another polite response when the pain in his head flared, causing him to clench his teeth in pain. He’d had headaches before, but never like this—

“A headache?”

“Yes, but—“

“ _Dolor adnihilo_.” The man said, and Watanuki was surprised to find that his headache was gone. The man nodded, satisfied with the reaction. In his hands was a long piece of wood, rough and worn.

“That’s amazing!” Watanuki exclaimed. The man shook his head, but Watanuki went on, “How did you do that? It’s better than aspirin!”

“Aspirin?”

“You know, headache pills. You buy them at the pharmacy?” Watanuki was surprised at the man’s ignorance, but tried to hide this feeling, not wanting to offend someone who had just helped him out.

“Oh. I’m afraid I don’t know much about Muggle medicine. But I’m glad my headache charm worked well.”

“Muggle?”

“Oh, forgive me. Who are you? I don’t usually go on talking to strangers like this. I’m Remus Lupin.”

“Watanuki Kimihiro. Call me Watanuki. Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

They shook hands across the table. Lupin’s hand was cold, like shaking hands with a spirit.

“Tell me, Watanuki, do you remember how you got here?”

Watanuki frowned. “As a matter of fact, I don’t. Do you?”

“I died.”

“I…you… what?”

“I died.” Lupin said, carefully, as though he were still getting used to the idea, “I died, and I woke up here. Are you dead as well?”

“No… I don’t think so.” Watanuki glanced around again, looking at the other people in the café. It was impossible to tell where he was, or who they were—there were simply too many people to guess about.

“I think that being dead or alive is something certain that you know, not something you just think.” Lupin said gently.

“I know.” Watanuki sighed, “I wish that were true. Lately, everything I thought was true is falling apart. I can’t hold on to anything. I can’t… I can’t even remember who my parents were.” He found that he was making a fist as he said this and consciously had to work to flex his hand.

“But you have friends, right? If you have friends, you can survive just about anything the world throws at you.”

“I do, but they’re…”

“What?”

“Sort of… weird. Sometimes. I mean, my best friend’s a real idiot, and he thinks he knows everything, and he’s so damn smug a lot of the time and he acts like he knows what’s best for me! And the girl I like, I can’t be with her the way I thought I could, and it turns out that Yuuko was right about her, and that drives me crazy, because Yuuko can be—I mean. Oh. I just talked a lot, didn’t I?”

“That’s all right.” Lupin was laughing a little, but it wasn’t a cruel kind of laughter, “I think it’s clear you have good friends.”

“I guess I do.” Watanuki found himself smiling in response. He hadn’t thought of it like that in a long time, and doing so made him feel a little better, despite the fact he was stranded in a completely unfamiliar place, talking to someone he’d never met before.

“My friends got me through the worst times. I’m sure your friends will help you, too.”

“I hope so.” He answered, thinking of Yuuko’s sad face as they shared the same dream.

“Actually, I’m hoping that one of mine will—oh, there she is!” Lupin’s face lit up. Watanuki turned to see where he was looking and spied a pretty woman with shockingly pink hair waving at them, her expression both relieved and joyful. “I’m sorry, Watanuki, I need to leave now. I do wish you all the best.”

“You, too. Thank you again for fixing my headache.”

He watched Lupin go. The tall man expertly made his way through the crowd. When he reached her, the pink-haired woman threw her arms around him, talking frantically. Her words were swallowed in the din of the café Watanuki couldn’t remember coming to in the first place.


End file.
